Heating system for automobile steering-gear wheels.



I A. HANS ON & e. w. HALL.

HEATING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE STEERING GEAR WHEELS.=.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3,19l4.

Patented July 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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AA. fiamsorz L. HEATING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE STEERING GEAR WHEELS.

A. HANSON & G. W. HALL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.3. I914.

Patented July 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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LENNIE A. HANSON AND GEORGE W. HALL, OF DEEB-ING, NORTH DAKOTA.

Specification of Lettei's Patent.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Application filed December 3, 1914. Serial N0. 875,347.

States, residing at Deering, in the-county of McHenry and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heating Systems for Automobile Steering-Gear Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in steeringimechanisms for self-propelled vehicles,

order that the air from the heating jacket may rise through the pipe and pass through the steering wheel. 7

A further object of our invention consists in the provision of means for regulating the size of the vent or outlet opening in use; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the steer- I ing wheel, parts being shown in section tothe steering wheel in order to regulate the amount of heated air which will pass.

through the wheel and, consequently, to control the extent to which the wheel shall be heated;

A still further object of oun invention is to construct the steering wheel in such a. -manner that but one of its spokes need be of hollow formation to insure proper heating of the wheel, irrespective of. how the wheel is turned.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings: tary sectional view of 'a-conventional form of motor vehicle, showing our invention in illustrate certain details of construction; Fig, 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the steering column, the steering wheel and a portion of the steering column being shown in central, vertical section Fig. 4: is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, illustrating. the manner of mounting the slide which controls the pasthe primary object of our invention being the provision of Figure 1 is a fragmen-v sage of heated air through, the steering wheel; Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 4, further illustrating the manner of mounting this slide; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken through the steering column on the line 66 of Fig. 3, illustrating the manner in which the hot air pipe is led through the'column; Fig. 7 is a section on the'line 77 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating certain details of steering wheel construction; Fig. 8 is acentral longitudinal sectional view taken throu h the heating jacket, showing its manner 0 application to the exhaust pipe.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In order to insure a clear and accurate understanding of our invention, we have illustrated it in connection with a conventional form of motor vehicle 10 having a steering column 11 and exhaust pipe 12. Referring more particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the steering colunm includes a fixed tubular housing13 with an inwardly directed annular flange 16 which engages about the upper end of the steering post 14-. forming-a substantially air tlght chamber. This flange, however, at

one point, is provided with a port'or opening 17, as best-shown in Fig. 7.

The steeringwheel, indicated as a whole 19,'radial spokes. 20 and arim or body por- 'tion 21. The hub portionhas' its lower face cut-away to seat snugly about the upper end 1 of the housing 13 of the steering .columnand is provided centrally with -a "threaded stud 22 for engagement in the. threaded socket of' the steering post, a pin 23 or other suitable by the numeral 18, includes a hub portion means beingutilized to additionally lock the I steering wheel to the steeringpostifdeemed The lower facej -of-the steering 1 1 advisable.

wheel-hub isfurther cut-away or channeled to provide a concentric annular chamber 24:

which, in any position of the steering wheel, will communicate with the port 17. One of the spokes 20 of the steering wheel is of tubular construction, as best shown in Figs.

2 and 3 of the drawings and the rim or body portion of the wheel is also made in the form of a continuoustube with which this spoke communicates. Furthermore, the rim or body portion of the wheel, at a point diametrically opposite the outer end of the tubular spoke, is provided with an outlet opening 25 in the form of a rectangular slot.

In forming this slot, one of its longitudinal edges is channeled to provide a groove 26, while the other edge is cut-away to provide inner and outer stepped shoulders 27 and 28, the inner shoulder 27 corresponding a to the inner face of the groove 26. A strip of.metal 29 is secured against the shoulder- 28 by means of a. plurality of screws 30 or other suitable fastening devices with its free edge projecting in spaced relation to the inner shoulder 27 and in efl'ect corresponding to the upper face or shoulder of the channel 26. A portion of the rim or body 21 of the steering wheel, at one end of the slot, is instruck or depressed as shown at 31 and the edge portions of the seat defined by this construction are provided with channels forming continuations of those above described. A sliding plate 32, arcuate in cross section to correspond to the curvature of the wheel rim, is provided at either side with longitudinal ribs or shoulders 33 adapted to slide in the channel 26 and in the channel formed between the shoulder 27 and free edge of the plate 29. This slide or plate is of a length sufiicient to completely close the opening 25.when in one position, while the instruck portion of the guideway forthe plate is of suflicient length to permit movement of the plate to fully withdraw it from the opening 25. The outer faceof the plate is notched transversely as shown at 34 in order that it may be conveniently moved from one position to the other. It will, of course, be clear that by proper manipulation of this sliding plate or closure, an outlet opening of any desired extent may be pro vided.

An air tube or pipe 35 communicates at one end with the port 17 of the housing flange housing to any suitable point adjacent the exhaust pipe 12, at which point it is extended through the housing and connected wlth a pipe 36. That portion of the pipe 35 located within the housing is preferably flattened and curved as shown in Fig. 6 to permit the employement of a larger tube than would be possible if the tube was circular in steering post, said hub portion being formed cross section.

From the foregoing description, it will be clear that means is provided for supplying hot air to the pipe 36, this air, because of its heat, passing upwardly through the tube 35 and port 17 into the annular chamber 24 of the steering wheel. Fromthis chamber, it will pass through the tubular spoke 16 and extends longitudinally of the of the steering wheel and into the tubular rim or body thereof, divide when it reaches the rim, and pass in both directions about the rim and out through the opening 25. It will further be clear that the rate of passage of hot air through the wheel may be readily controlled by the extent to which the sliding closure 32 is opened, no air passing through the wheel when this closure is shut.

As a means for supplyingv heated air to the pipe 36, we have provided a heater, the construction of which is best shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. This heater includes a pipe section 37 having externally threaded terminals for connection between the pipe sections 38 and 39 of the exhaust pipe 12 and also provided adjacent these threaded terminals with externally threaded portions 40. The heater proper includes a casing 41 substantially circular in cross section and provided at its ends with inwardly directed annular flanges 42 which are threaded for engagement with the threaded portions 40 of the pipe 37. This body member, adjacent one end, is provided in its lower face with an inlet opening 43 surrounded by an outwardly flaring annular flange 44 serving to direct the inlet of air to the casing. At its opposite end, the upper portion of the casing is extended somewhat as shown at 45 and provided with an outlet port 46 with which the pipe 36 communicates.

In operation, assuming that the engine is running as usual, air will pass in through the port 43 and about the heated pipe section 37, thereby becoming highly heated and, as a result, passing through the pipe 36 to thesteering wheel, as previously described.

This construction,"whileit constitutes the preferred embodiment of our invention, is capable of numerous modifications in details and for this reason we do not wish to limit ourselves in any way to the specific features shown, our invention being set forth in the claims. I

' Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

I 1.. In a system for heating steering wheels of motor vehicles, the combination with a tubular steering column and a steering-post mounted in the column, the upper end of the column having a flange engaging about the post and provided with an outlet p rt, of a steering wheel having a hub portion operatively connected to the port of the rim, and'an air tube leading through the steering column to the outlet port thereof.

2. In a system for heating steering wheels of motor vehicles, the combination witha tubular steering column and a steering post I mounted in the column, the upper end of the column having a flange engaging about the post and provided with an outlet port, of a steering wheel having a hub portion operatively connected to the steering post, said hub portion being formed with an annular chamber communicating with the outlet port of the steering column flange, a tubular rim for the steering wheel having an outlet opening, a tubular spoke communicating between the annular chamber of the hub and the rim, the point of communication being diametrically opposite the outlet port of the rim, and an air tube leading through the steering column to the outlet port thereof, said air tube within the steering column being flattened and curved, whereby it may transmit considerable air, and still be positioned between the column and post. 7

3. A system for heating steering wheels of motor vehicles including a steering wheel havinv a tubular rim, means for supplying heated air to the rim, said rim being provided at one side with a substantially rectangular shaped opening for the outlet of 

